Sunbeam
by thechosenpen
Summary: After Talia's big brother was kicked out of home, she's spent the last few years on the run, trying to find him. She's about to give up when she hears word of a new superhero in New York. It doesn't take long to work out that Spider-Man is actually her friend Peter Parker. Perhaps he is the key to helping Talia find her way home again. If she can keep him alive long enough first...
1. prologue

Home was a strange word.

It held different meaning to everyone.

To some people it was a specific place. It was an exact location they could point on a map. It was a house, or perhaps it was a castle. It was where the road always led back, no matter where your life led you. It was the building that held endless memories. It was a place that took the heaviness from your chest as you turned up the driveway. Home stood steady and strong, unmoving and always present when you needed to return.

Or maybe home was a feeling. It was warmth. It was comfort. It was early morning breakfasts piled up on a table as everyone scrambled to get the best of each dish, voices jumbled together. It was the scent of something delicious baking in the oven when you flung the door open. It was the feeling of safety and security as you closed your eyes, knowing that nothing could harm you as long as the feeling of home remained.

Or maybe home was a person. Maybe it was a group of people. It was familiar faces and scents surrounding you in a big warm hug, engulfing you and reminding you that as long as you stayed together that you would be safe. Home was a person with their eyes staring into yours, reminding you that you were not alone in this battle. Home was someone reminding you that you had someone to fight for.

Perhaps home was just a concept. It was whatever you made it, however you made it.

This was not home.

Whatever home was, all Talia knew was that she was a long way from home and a long way from finding it again.

The cold stoned walls she was trapped in, full of miserable foster carers and even more miserable children, only seemed to close in tighter on Talia every night. The damp air seemed to linger for longer inside these walls, no matter how long Talia left her bedroom window cracked open. Even when the New York sky seemed bright and clear, the dampness remained. The feeling was so familiar that Talia was beginning to wonder if it was less about the never ending shelters. Maybe it was her. Maybe she was carrying this feeling inside, her body finding no other way to cope with her cold reality.

The reality that she may never feel at home again.

Tonight, like most nights, the thick cold atmosphere of misery got too much for Talia, the crisp air seeping into her clothes even as she pressed her body deeper under the covers of her small single bed. She lay there, waiting, listening with bated breath.

The silence that met her anticipation gave her a tiny feeling of relief, the ghost of a smile flickering across her face before she swung her legs off the bed, her movements quick and nimble. She padded across the cold wooden floorboards, narrowly avoiding a creaky board on her way to the window. Without hesitating, she slid it open, slipping her willowy body through the crack until she was standing on the fire escape, the night breeze blowing her blonde hair across her face until she had to push it back with a huff.

Her movements now were methodical, familiar, even in this new foster care home. The building may have been unfamiliar and unfriendly, but the routine was comforting. It was a reminder that she had a purpose. Even when things felt hopeless, even when she was miserable. She had a purpose and she was getting one step closer every day. After months of emptiness and dark clouds, she could practically feel the sunshine peeking through, despite the night sky staring back at her.

"I'll find you," Talia whispered up to the stars, just as she did every night as she hugged at her knees tightly. "And then we can go home."

The word felt bittersweet on her tongue and she paused, taking in the view of the night sky, her eyes searching as they always did. She did a silent count, her eyes flickering towards familiar sights of the keystone of Hercules, to Cassiopeia shining boldly. Instead of easing the dull ache in her heart as they usually did, tonight the constellations only reminded Talia of just how alone she was. Talia let a slow sigh slip from her lips. "I miss you, big brother."

If she listened close enough, Talia would swear she heard the stars whispering back, her name coming through in hushed tones and echoes, but she knew it was just in her mind. Still, she had to hold onto the tiny thread of hope, however fragile it was these days. She had to believe he was out there, out in the sky, out searching for her too.

Talia was so engrossed in her thoughts that she almost missed the sight of Spider-Man swinging past the cold rooftop, moving smoothly across the skyline with his spiderweb. But his shadow still caught Talia's eye in the dark, her heart quickening at the sight of the mysterious superhero moving through the sky like a falling star. He disappeared into the dark again before she could call out, leaving Talia feeling incredibly wide awake.

She stared out into the sky, a new energy buzzing inside her body, her eyes shining with a tug of hope in her heart, ignoring how fragile the thread felt. Spider-Man was here. He was nearby, the closest superhero Talia had been able to find and she hadn't even been looking. After months of searching for someone who could actually help, here was someone swinging right past her doorstep. Maybe he could help her find her brother. Maybe there was a light in the dark after all.

Talia was far from home right now, but suddenly the word didn't feel so bittersweet.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey look I'm back at it again with another fic in between updates for my other works! Talia has been a work in progress for a while so I'm really excited to finally share her story with you all! Talia's story will follow be picking up during Spider-Man: Homecoming and continue through other MCU films so I have a lot planned for her! Feel free to leave a little review and let me know your thoughts/theories/feelings! Reviews really help motivate me so they're much appreciated :) Thanks for reading!**


	2. one: the worst liar

"You are literally the worst liar in the entire universe." Talia knew she was being slightly hyperbolic but she was too stubborn to move, her eyes boring intensely up at against the boy currently standing across from her.

Peter Parker, to his credit, was equally as stubborn. As sweet and good hearted as the boy seemed, his hazel eyes were staring back at hers, slightly narrowed as he waited for her to budge. "I am not lying," he shot back, his jaw tensing slightly, a clear sign that he was indeed lying. It was a pity he couldn't see his own reflection right now literally giving everything away, from his tense jaw to his flickering eyeline as he attempted to avoid any possible eye contact while still trying to look natural. Talia had been only friends with Peter for a few months, ever since the second week of freshman year when she'd had an abrupt transfer to the fancy Midtown School of Science and Technology.

But despite knowing Peter for only a few weeks, Talia could read him like an open book. "You're telling me that in the whole time you've been on your internship you haven't even met one Avenger yet? Not even Iron Man? You haven't even seen Mr Stark at all?"

Peter let out a huff, clearly refusing to give anything away. "No, like I said, Mr Stark is way too busy to deal with the interns."

"Whatever," Talia sighed as she closed her locker shut a little harder than she intended, the metal rattling slightly with the unexpected force. "I guess that just means I'm cooler than you," she shrugged as she nudged him to start walking, her eyes already scouring the busy corridor for any sign of the final member of their trio. "Because I totally saw Spider-Man the other night."

Her casual reveal caught Peter slightly off guard as he moved to follow her and he stopped in his tracks, choking slightly as she caught him mid-inhale. "What?" he asked, staring at her with wide eyes as he attempted to compose himself.

"Yeah, he swung by my apartment," Talia said, biting back the gleeful grin threatening to spill across her face as she twisted on her heel to face him again.

Peter nodded slowly, processing Talia's smug revelation as he inhaled sharply. There was something simmering behind his eyes, several questions and answers he was clearly struggling to hold in. It was odd and Talia was tempted to push for clarity but something else in Peter's eyes made her bite her own tongue. Whatever he was withholding was probably for a good reason. After all, Peter was a good person. She hadn't known him very long but she knew that to be true, without a doubt.

Peter seemed to collect himself fairly quickly, stepping forward and nudging Talia's shoulder as they continued their walk down the corridor. "So did Spider-Man see you? Did he reveal who he really is?" he asked as Talia nudged his shoulder right back.

Talia shook her head reluctantly as she readjusted her backpack over her shoulder. "Ugh, no. He literally swung past and he was gone before I could say anything. But who knows, maybe my apartment is part of his nightly route when he's out saving the citizens of New York so I might see him again."

"See who?" Ned's voice appeared from beside Peter and Talia, sidling up beside them as they crossed the corridor he was entering from. He gave Peter a quick fist bump in greeting as Talia rolled her eyes from between the boys.

She still couldn't get over how the boys were so determined to be cool while also constantly discussing things like Star Wars, but she indulged them anyway, reaching up to ruffle Ned's hair and letting out a laugh as she watched him frantically smooth it back down.

"Talia was just telling me about her latest Avenger sighting," Peter interjected before Ned and Talia could break into a mock-squabble in the middle of the corridor. "She saw Spider-Man last night." His voice had a hint of false joy in there, like he was still dwelling on something else, perhaps on that lie from before. But Talia ignored it for now, rolling her eyes instead.

"Way to spoil my exciting news, Parker," Talia huffed, nudging him. "But yes I totally did and it was awesome." She turned to grin at Ned, appreciating the way his eyes lit up in excitement for her. This was not the first time she'd caught sight of an Avenger so she wouldn't blame the boys for rolling their eyes but instead they both usually joined in her excitement, Peter's current weird attitude aside. The last time she'd spotted Black Widow and almost made eye contact, Talia had rambled about it for two weeks before she let it drop.

And then there was Tony Stark, Iron Man himself of course. Not that she'd ever talk about that particular interaction with Peter and Ned because it meant revealing too much about herself, but Tony Stark was the entire reason she'd managed to score a place at the Midtown Academy despite her rather vague transcripts, a result of moving between foster homes and shelters for the last few years.

Her stubbornness and relentless determination had managed to wear his assistants down, finally allowing her to meet with him so she could her small favour. It had been one brief meeting full of doubt and suspicion on both sides, but at least Mr Stark had been willing to help a little, even if his idea of help was just getting her into a secure home in New York while she continued her eternal search for her brother. Still, that had been months ago and Talia hadn't been able to get in contact with him ever since.

But maybe Spider-Man was the hero she'd been waiting for instead. He wasn't too busy dealing with Accords and government politics. He was out there nearby, helping people in need.

"So what's the plan now, T? Are you switching from star gazing to Spider-gazing?" Ned asked, a cheeky grin on his face as he jostled her shoulder lightly.

Talia rolled her eyes as she walked, her backpack bumping against her back as she tugged on the straps. "I can do both at the same time," she said raising one eyebrow. "And maybe next time I can ask for an autograph."

"I think you should ask him how he could fight Captain America," Ned suggested, narrowly avoiding a crowd of Biology students carrying their dioramas through the hall. "Like he literally fought a hero of America. That's crazy. Maybe he's not a hero, he's just some crazy spider-dude fighting superheroes!"

"Yeah, that was wild. If I was up against Captain America I'd tap out, no question. Maybe if Spider-Man swings past I'll give him a little interrogation over that." Talia pursed her lips as she bobbed her head at her own declaration.

Peter had been quiet up until now as they walked, his brow slightly furrowed, but he shot his head up at that. "I'm sure Spider-Man had his reasons though. I mean Captain America did sort of break government protocol…" he said suddenly.

"Someone has been hanging around Stark Industries too much," Talia remarked with a snort, rolling her eyes.

"Hey you'll be jealous when my internship leads to a real job," Peter defended himself, bumping her shoulder with a grin. Talia had to admit she was jealous of the internship, if only because it kept Peter so busy that she barely got to see him. But that was another issue entirely.

"Well you're not at the internship after school, right?" Ned interrupted Talia's thoughts as he spoke to Peter, raising a hopeful brow. "Because I've got the new Death Star to build!"

Talia had to admire Ned for being chill enough to say that aloud without worrying about the judgemental eyebrows being raised around them by students passing by.

Peter shrugged though, a guilty expression flickering over his face. "Sorry Ned, but maybe later this week?"

"Dude, I cannot wait that long. Maybe I'll just build the base at mine and then I'll bring the rest to yours and we can do it later tonight, like after dinner!"

"Missing May's cooking. Smart move," Talia cut in with a smirk as she threw a sideways glance to Peter, only half joking. She did adore Peter's aunt, but May really was a hopeless cook if the burnt chicken last week was anything to go by. Peter didn't laugh though and Talia was about to nudge him when she realised what had pulled his focus.

Liz Allen.

The moment Talia spotted her, she suppressed a sigh, taking in the way Peter's eyes slowly glazed over. Liz was older then the small trio and she was gorgeous, graceful and had somehow managed to capture the attention of almost every boy Talia knew. It was almost infuriating if Liz wasn't such a kind person that it made it impossible to actually dislike her.

And Talia wasn't petty enough to succumb to that kind of girl hate. She just hated how Peter got so distracted by Liz. She hated how easily he tuned out of conversations just because of Liz's presence.

And she hated how it made her feel.

Ned was still babbling on about the Death Star model, seemingly clueless to his two friends currently deep in thought as he steered them towards their classroom, his shoulder brushing lightly against Talia's to keep her from walking into the doorframe.

"Peter? Is that good?" Ned asked as he finished his ramble, ignoring the cough from Talia beside him as she readjusted her books in her arms, her own mind pulling itself back to the present.

Peter gave a small hum of agreement to Ned, clearly only half listening as he led their little trio into the room, the three of them filing in quickly and moving towards their seats. Peter took his usual seat in the middle of the classroom with Ned beside him, while Talia slid into her spot in front of them, right beside Flash Thompson. Flash was lounging back on his chair, his dark hair pushed out of his face in what she assumed he thought was a cool style. It definitely wasn't.

Talia threw Flash a smirk as she slapped her books onto the desk, making him jump slightly. Flash and Talia definitely didn't get along but they had an understanding in that Flash didn't harass Talia because he knew she could throw a punch that would knock him out cold. Glancing up at Talia, Flash just scrunched up his face slightly in mock distaste as he resettled into his seat.

"Caught a whiff of your own cologne, did you?" Talia quipped as she slid into her seat. "What was it called again? Obtuse?"

"It's called Shut Up," Flash shot back, shaking his head as he watched Talia deliberately spreading her stationary across the desk. He didn't bother complaining though since he'd probably be needing to borrow some of it soon anyway.

By the time the two of them had settled down, Ms Warren was starting class, her firm attitude quickly shutting everyone up as she clasped her hands together. "Okay, so how do we calculate linear acceleration between points A and B?" she asked, glancing back at the chalkboard briefly to direct everyone's focus to the topic.

Talia's hand shot up, half a second too late as Flash's hand was already in the air beside her, knocking her in his attempt to catch the attention of Ms Warren.

"Flash." Ms Warren nodded towards him, indicating for him to speak.

"It's the product of sine of the angle and gravity divided by mass." Flash spoke with an irrational level of confidence for someone who was incredibly incorrect.

"Nope." Ms Warren shook her head, dismissing Flash instantly as Talia let out a huff of laughter, dropping her hand momentarily to cover her mouth.

"Peter. You still with us?" Ms Warren raised her voice slightly. Talia frowned as she spun around to look at Peter who looked like he was a million miles away. He snapped up though, his gaze brushing across to Talia quick enough for her to mime 'linear acceleration' with the hope that he understood. He gave a minuscule nod of appreciation and looked back at Ms Warren before she could notice.

"Yeah, yeah. Mass cancels out, so it's just gravity times sine," Peter answered quickly, his head bobbing up and down as he spoke.

"Right." Ms Warren pointed towards Peter with a reassuring smile. "See, Flash, being the fastest isn't always the best if you are wrong."

"You're dead," Flash whispered under his breath to Peter as Talia suppressed a snort from beside him. But as class continued she felt her gaze drawn back behind her to where Peter was staring at his laptop, an strange expression on his face, a mix of longing and frustration. Maybe he was thinking about Liz, but Talia couldn't help remembering his odd reaction when she's mentioned spotting Spiderman. Maybe Peter had met an Avenger after all, despite what he'd insisted. Maybe he knew more than he was letting on. He was hiding something, the question was what it was. Well it was a good thing that Talia was excellent at getting secrets out of people. She was holding onto several secrets of her own so she knew the tricks.

Adjusting her headband, Talia withheld a sigh, pulling her gaze back to the front of the classroom, grabbing a pen to jot down the notes from the board. Now wasn't the time to think about that.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello readers! I'm so sorry for the delay between updates. Life has been a little overwhelming but I'm still super excited to share Talia's story with you all. I've got so much planned so get ready! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have a moment feel free to leave a review and let me know your thoughts/theories/feelings! Every review helps motivate me to write more! Thank you so much for reading :) xo**


	3. two: just blend in

By the time lunchtime rolled around, Talia was halfway past starving and moving into famished, barely focusing on her Math notes and hating how mundane her day felt right now. She had a hundred things to do, all much more important than assignments and classes, and instead she was stuck shuffling between crowded classrooms and stuffy hallways.

Talia knew she could leave at any moment, that she could slip out and start over again in another town, in another city, continuing her search for her brother. But right now Talia felt closer to him than ever, knowing she was in close proximity to Spider-Man and knowing that she had Iron Man on the lookout on her behalf. That was two Avengers more than she'd had before. She couldn't run away now. Not when she was so close to making her way home finally.

And there was the other thing tethering her to New York right now, not that she would admit it any time soon. That thing was Peter who was currently making eyes at Liz Allen from across the cafeteria as usual, accompanied by Ned. Talia rolled her eyes as she sat from across the two boys, not bothering to move across even as she disrupted their view of the senior girl as she bustled around preparing for Homecoming.

"Did Liz get a new top?" Peter asked, his voice slightly wistful as he stared across, leaning slightly to the left to see around Talia.

Ned shook his head, sitting up slightly to examine Liz's outfit as he chewed down on his chicken strips. "No. We've seen that before, but never with that skirt," he said casually as if that was common knowledge.

"I bought a skirt the other day," Talia chirped up as she pushed her mashed potatoes around her plate, making her third attempt to bring the boys back to earth.

Ned didn't flinch in his ogling over Liz, not even bothering to glance across at Talia as he let out a snort. "That's a stone cold lie, Talia, and we all know it," he remarked.

"Well maybe I bought one just to throw you off," Talia retorted to deaf ears. She hadn't bought a skirt of course, mostly because skirts always felt too short and skimpy and it was too hard to run in a skirt, no matter how cute it was. She preferred shorts and leggings, things that were easy to move in. Still, it was amusing to see how well Ned already knew her after such a short period of time.

Peter didn't even seem to register Talia speaking, his eyes staying on Liz, his wistful gaze stinging Talia more than she wanted to admit. "We should probably stop staring before it gets creepy," he said after a moment, not even bothering to follow through.

"Too late. You guys are losers." The dry voice of Michelle Jones cut across the table from where she sat a few spots away. Talia glanced over, biting down a laugh as she locked eyes with the other girl briefly.

"Well, then why do you sit with us?" Ned asked with a frown.

"Because I don't have any friends."

Talia rolled her eyes at Michelle, ever amused by the other girl's determination to isolate herself, ever the weird one. "And because I need someone to save me from ending up in Zombie-land with you two and your glazed eyes," Talia added on, wrinkling her nose at the boys.

Michelle was technically right though. They weren't exactly close friends but the two girls definitely got along. Perhaps Michelle could sense the way that Talia didn't belong, no matter how well she blended in. Maybe Michelle could tell that no matter how much Talia got involved in school sports and extra curricular, that she was never going to fully fit in. And she could tell that Talia didn't really want to fit in anyway. Just like her. That seemed to be enough for Michelle. They had a good understanding of where they stood. They were close enough to hang out at school, to sit near each other at lunch and in classes, and Michelle was always around with a quick witted comment to keep up with Talia.

Cracking a tiny hint of an amused smile, Michelle turned back to the book she had propped open in front of her lunch tray as the boys both rolled their eyes.

"Whatever, it's not like Liz is going to notice us anyway," Peter said with a shrug as he turned back to his lunch, taking another bite of his chicken as he let his gaze flicker over to Liz one last time.

Ned was watching Talia now, his eyes narrowing a tiny fraction as she glanced from Peter back towards him, doing her best to hide any of the disappointment lingering inside her. She knew she wasn't exactly subtle sometimes, but at least Peter seemed too oblivious to realise.

Ned was much more observant though, but thankfully he didn't make any comments. He just pulled a face, scrunching his nose up at her, until she cracked a smile as she turned back to her own lunch, trying not to focus on the way her heart sank a little at Peter's blissful ignorance to it all.

* * *

The rest of the day dragged on as Talia moved from class to class, barely paying enough attention to take down any valuable notes. She knew she would be able to pick things up later on, and she could trust Ned and Peter to help her if she needed. Or even Michelle, if Talia asked nicely. Still, failing a Chemistry class wasn't high on her list of priorities at the moment.

By the time the bell rang to dismiss the impatient and angsty students from the stuffy classrooms, Talia was itching to stretch her legs and move. As she made her way down the corridors, backpack slung low over her shoulder, smoothly making her own path between the crowds of teens, Talia felt a tug in the back of her mind, the beginning of a headache on its way to annoy her. She winced slightly, lifting one hand to yank at the elastic holding her hair in a tight ponytail, pulling at it until her hair was set free, falling loosely around her face as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Talia! You coming to practice?" The loud, vaguely abrasive voice of Isabel O'Connor interrupted Talia's thoughts, her tone aggravating Talia's headache even more as Talia turned to face her, pursing her lips as she came face to face with the dark haired captain of the school's soccer team.

Isabel had developed a habit of easily finding Talia around the school, no matter where she was. As soon as she'd seen Talia's quick moves in their P.E class, she'd been quick to slide up to her, persuasive and slightly demanding as she insisted that Talia tried out. She'd made it clear that Talia would easily gain a spot on the team but she hadn't disclosed how tough she was on the team. She also hadn't disclosed how brutal her training methods were, or how aggressive she could be if anyone dared question her.

As scary as Isabel could be, Talia had to admit that soccer practice sounded like a good way to stretch her legs and get herself moving. Not to mention, Isabel was a damn good captain and an even better player so she would definitely put up a good fight against Talia. But the headache was only just beginning and Talia knew it was only a matter of time before it turned into a migraine.

"Sorry, Isabel. I'll have to miss this one. Migraine," she said quickly, wincing as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

Isabel studied her for a minute and Talia waited for the other girl to launch into a string of suggestions and cures, insistent as she seemed to be on having Talia around. Talia knew why, she was one of the best players on the team even after just a few weeks of training with everyone else. Talia pushed the other team members to be better as they all tried to keep up with her so she understood how she was beneficial. Not to mention she did love participating in school sports and letting herself float into her own little blissful state of normalcy.

"Fine, but don't complain when I make you run laps next time," Isabel said after a moment, shrugging as she flashed a wink at Talia before bouncing off in the opposite direction towards the soccer pitch, tugging her long dark hair into her usual high ponytail as she disappeared around the corner.

Talia watched her vanish, half tempted to follow, but the pounding in her head was too strong and she had too much on her mind to truely focus on normal high school issues. Knowing that the boys were probably a Debate Team meeting, Talia didn't bother waiting for either of them as she made her way out of the school grounds, barely noticing the students around her.

She didn't really want to head back to the foster care she was reluctantly calling home these days, but it was worth at least stopping by to make an appearance. She owed Tony Stark that much at least. He'd worked hard to get her a decent care home and gotten her into a good school that offered plenty of opportunities, even though it was really just a cover for Talia until she could get back home.

Skipping up the steps of her carer's apartment complex, Talia tugged the front door open and wandered through the hallway, carefully stepping over a bunch of misplaced toys that one of the younger kids had left in a mess down the hall. Talia didn't bother calling out a greeting to anyone, knowing no one really cared about her presence here.

Another cold reminder of how far she was from home. Instead she just sighed as she ducked into the kitchen, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl before making her way into her bedroom where she flopped onto her bed, her backpack slipping off onto the floor with a dull thud. As she tossed the apple in the air, watching it spin before catching it easily, Talia felt the usual sense of claustrophobia sink into her bloodstream.

This care home was a little too overcrowded for Talia's taste, but it did have its perks. It was easy to blend in with the never ending stream of kids running in and out, and no one bothered to pay her too much attention as long as she stayed out of the way and kept to herself. That was easy enough. She didn't have any interest in getting close to the kids crowding up the kitchen space. The carers did a decent job providing for the children, even if they were clearly overworked and underpaid, but Talia knew it was best to keep her distance. She wouldn't be here for long anyway.

That hadn't stopped her from making friends with Peter and Ned though. Part of Talia knew it was foolish. She knew it was crazy to get too close to people when she knew she wasn't planning to stick around. She had bigger plans. She had a bigger goal and it didn't involve graduating from the Midtown School of Science and Technology.

But it was nice to have friends. It was nice to know she had people to talk to, keeping her sane while her search slowly drove her insane. Peter had been the first person to help Talia when she had accidentally ended up completely lost on her first day of classes. He'd stuck by her side ever since, easily bringing her into his small circle with Ned and the occasional appearance of Michelle. It made life a little more bearable, as odd as it was for Talia to admit.

It helped that Peter was kind of cute too. At least he was too oblivious to ever feel the same way. That would only complicate things even further and Talia didn't need more complications.

* * *

By the time the sun had set, Talia had managed to get down several internet rabbit holes but she was still no closer to any clues that would help her searching. Instead she just learned a lot about the Avengers showdown in Germany that had occurred a few months ago, and read a little more about Stark technology, not that any of that looked like it would be useful to Talia. Still, it was interesting to read about.

But Talia could only sit still for so long. She'd been antsy ever since school ended and although she'd hoped to distract herself with some reading and research, it clearly wasn't working. She needed to get out.

After leaving a quick vague note about 'dinner with some friends from school', Talia made her way out the front door and down the street. She didn't have a plan right now, but she needed to move. She needed to get away from the synthetic lights of the foster home, and she needed to breathe in the fresh air before her migraine - which had thankfully faded back to a dull ache - returned.

Without a particular plan, Talia found herself wandering the streets of downtown New York, stopping briefly to buy a bagel which didn't really count as dinner but it was close enough to get her through until she found a nice cheap restaurant. There was always plenty to do in New York but Talia was too restless to settle on anything. Instead she just walked, her eyes constantly scouring the people around her. She wasn't expecting to lock eyes with a familiar face of course, but she could always hope. Mostly the walk was just an excuse to inhale the fresh air without any stress, without any expectations. Not to mention the endless number of stray cats just waiting to be patted.

By the time Talia had ducked in and out of her favourite hidden Chinese restaurant, her stomach full of won-tons, it was almost ten thirty, well past any regular teen's expected curfew, especially one out on their own. But Talia felt more awake than ever as she wandered the side streets. The air felt different now as people started to disappear from the streets and back into their homes, back to their loved ones. It was almost enough to make Talia feel a little green with envy, but she pushed those thoughts away, forcing herself to be content observing the little slices of normalcy around her.

There was something else in the air though as Talia walked along, something a little off. Talia took a sharp sniff in, wrinkling her nose at the smell. It took her a moment but as she turned the corner, the mysterious odour became clear.

It was smoke.

Talia came to a sharp halt as she stared at the chaos unfolding in front of her eyes. Down the street she could make out the bank, currently in the process of collapsing as bright sparks of electricity jolted out at alarmingly frequent intervals. Meanwhile, across the road from the bank Talia could make out the remains of her favourite little sandwich shop, now half engulfed in flames. She stared in horror, taking in the flames of hot fire already licking up their surroundings, the contents of the shop burning up as the walls started to collapse.

There were shouts and yells coming from neighbouring houses and apartments as the sound of the chaos that had clearly just unfolded began to wake others, and Talia hovered for a moment, the migraine nagging at her temple as she watched Spider-Man running across the street from the bank, his thin athletic frame looking slightly smaller in person than she had expected.

He looked like a kid.

It a sharp contrast to the strong superhero she'd been imagining when she watched him swing past her rooftop. But he was quick, moving through the dust and debris easily, barely hesitating before rushing into the destroyed sandwich store. He reappeared moments later with the owner slung over his arm, half conscious and stumbling as the older man coughed smoke from his lungs as others began to swarm in to help.

"Spider-Man." Talia breathed out the superhero's alias as she stared in awe, suddenly unable to move from her spot on the corner as she watched the superhero in action, only a few feet away. She spoke softly, barely audible to herself but apparently Spider-Man had excellent hearing on top of his other abilities.

Talia barely had time to blink before he was staring straight at her.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading another little chapter! I hope you enjoyed this little insight into Talia and her world and trust me the stakes are getting high real soon as we get to Liz's party and all hell breaks loose. Feel free to leave me a lil review with your thoughts/feelings/theories! Shout out to afluffykiwi, lizlil, FanGirlForever19, katie owl and Emilia Christine for your lovely reviews on the last chapter! Reviews always help motivate me to update and I love hearing your thoughts. Thanks again for reading!**


	4. three: something familiar

Talia stared at the image in front of her, taking in how close Spider-Man was right now. Seeing him flying past her fire escape the other night had been exciting but this was real and in the flesh. Now he was so close she could see his chest moving up and down as he stared back at her.

At least Talia assumed he was staring back at her. His mask made it hard to tell, but she could feel his attention on her as she stood, frozen in awe, suddenly hyper aware of the few feet between them. She could even see the way his suit wrinkled slightly around his knees as he shifted his weight. He really did seem younger close up. After meeting Iron Man and doing her research, Talia had just assumed the other Avengers were similar in age, or at least maturity. Spider-Man was probably a teenager at best, if her guesses were correct.

It looked like Spider-Man was going to move towards her, his jaw dropping slightly to speak. But before he could take a step any closer to her the loud squeal of sirens interrupted the moment. Talia's eyes widened as she watched Spider-Man jump slightly, his head turning back to the building behind him, smoke still seeping out of the remains as people continued to spill out of nearby apartments. By the time Talia glanced back to Spider-Man he was already gone, vanished from sight. She glanced around frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of him swinging away in the night sky but he was no where to be seen. Fair enough, he probably had other crimes to stop, or maybe he didn't want to talk to the police officers flying around the corner.

Either way, he was gone.

Talia hovered for a moment, debating whether there was any point sticking around. But the owners of the sandwich shop seemed to be mostly okay and there were other people already swarming around to help. She couldn't do much now. Not that she knew what she could do to help anyway, not after hiding for so long. Talia had avoided this kind of chaos for so long and she hadn't had the desire to help anyone for a while. The old familiar urge to leap into action had been suppressed for so long that she almost didn't recognise it.

So instead Talia slipped back around the corner, back into the darkness again. By the time she crept back into the foster home the sirens had almost faded away. As she let her head hit the thin pillow with a dull thud, Talia couldn't get rid of the image of Spider-Man though. He'd been so close and he had stared right at her. It felt like she had been so close to something, she just didn't know what. So close to answers, to finding someone who could really help, to something familiar and new all at once.

As Talia drifted off to sleep, she could have sworn she heard someone at her window, but she was too tired to look. Instead, she allowed dreams to take over, escaping back to a place that felt like home for a few unconscious and blissful hours.

* * *

Talia managed to put the previous night's events out of her mind for the most part as she trudged back to school again. There were a few people muttering about Delmar's Sandwich shop and the footage of Spider-Man fighting off the criminals across at the bank. There was some discussion about whether Spider-Man had caused the damage or not, and whether he was really a hero after all, as if he hadn't fought off several bad guys by himself. Talia was oddly relieved to hear the chatter since she had almost convinced herself that she'd dreamt him up, but she knew he'd been real. She had seen him. Twice in a week she'd spotted him. Surely third time would be a charm.

As she marched up the school's front steps, Talia beamed in recognition as she spotted two familiar heads just ahead of her.

"So is today arm-day?" Talia quipped as she sidled up to Ned and Peter, her eyes noting the huge pile of books in Peter's arms. The boys both whipped their heads across to stare at her, eyes widening in mild terror like they'd been caught in some terrible crime. "What?" Talia frowned as she took in their expressions.

Peter was the first to recover, glancing down at his books with a forced laugh. "Sorry, no uh…Yeah I lost my backpack." He attempted a shrug, his arms slightly weighed down by the books in his arms, coughing slightly as he did so.

"Oh no! That's like your fifth backpack to disappear, isn't it?" Talia asked as the three of them continued walking into the school. As she spoke she reached over to take two books from Peter's pile before they could slide to the ground in the middle of the student chaos.

Peter threw her a grateful look, bumping her gently with his elbow in a quiet thanks. "Yeah, just clumsy I guess." His explanation didn't quite land but Ned was giving him an odd look, failing to be subtle at all, so Talia didn't bother pushing it. It was probably an embarrassing story, or maybe he'd lent it to Ned and Ned had lost it. Both options had valid weight behind them, knowing the two boys as Talia did.

As they arrived at Peter's locker first, Talia paused to let him file his books back inside while Ned hurried on ahead to his locker. But Peter was delayed by another cough, his eyes tightly shut as he regained his breath.

Talia studied him for a moment, concerned. "You okay?" she asked, leaning slightly closer as she watched him inhaling slowly.

His eyes were still shut, giving her a moment to take him in and she took a selfish second to really look at him, taking in his long lashes and the way his hair flopped adorably over one eyebrow. By the time he opened his eyes, Talia had resumed a concerned expression though, not wanting to be caught staring at him in a way that could be misinterpreted.

Or correctly interpreted. That would be even more awkward.

"Yeah, just got a cough," Peter stated the obvious, his head bobbing up and down as he turned back to his locker to sort out his books. "Allergies," he added. Neither explanation sounded particularly convincing, much like his little backpack issue. As always, he was rubbish at lying to her.

Talia studied him again, her brow furrowed. "Right," she said, nodding along without fully believing him. He seemed relieved though as he turned back to grin at her, all sense of supposed allergies gone as he nudged her to keep walking towards her locker.

"So how was your night?" Talia asked as they continued to walk through the hallway, winding through the swarms of students.

Peter frowned at the ground for a moment, supposedly in thought. "Oh..ah not much. Ned came by for a bit and I had dinner with May. Quiet night. Nothing special." He shrugged, hugging his Chemistry textbook tighter to his chest almost like a shield ready to wave off any unanswerable questions.

Talia noted the way his guard hovered higher than usual, observing but not commenting on it. It was odd though. Sure, she hadn't known Peter for that long but this new shield he'd been throwing up around her was definitely unnerving. Unless it was all in her head.

"Wait, did May cook?" Talia asked after a beat, pushing the paranoia down before it ate her up inside.

Peter shook his head fervently. "Nope, we had Thai. The waiter hit on her again," he added.

"Of _course_ he did." Talia remarked, a light giggle escaping her lips as she bumped Peter's hip. She knew he hated how every male that met May seemed inclined to hit on her, especially when she seemed so oblivious to it all. Still, his aunt was gorgeous and even Talia had been slightly in awe when she'd first visited Peter's apartment.

"How about you?" Peter asked. Something in his voice was a little off, as if he was forcing the question but it could have just been because a bunch of seniors suddenly turned the corner, nearly colliding with Peter until he swerved out of the way.

Talia rolled her eyes as they kept walking, looping her arm through Peter's casually to avoid another incident. "Well! I went for a walk last night," she started, her mind wandering back to the night before, "and I actually ended up right near Delmars. Right after the explosion!" Her eyes widened slightly as she spoke.

Peter stumbled slightly as they walked, only saved by Talia's arm hoisting him back up again. "Wow, that must have been scary," he said with a light laugh as he regained his balance properly. "Did you see anything?"

"Well I didn't see the guys at the bank but I did see Spider-Man again. That's twice in a week!" Talia's eyes widened slightly as she recalled just how close she'd been to Spider-Man. She could have almost reached out and touched him if only he hadn't run off so quickly. If she'd only had a chance to speak to him, to ask him a few questions. She'd been so close to getting some help finally, to finally finding her brother. But then Spider-Man had disappeared. Again.

Peter was staring straight ahead now, probably focusing on keeping himself upright without tripping again. But his grip did tighten slightly on Talia's arm as they walked around the corner, only a few feet away from their Chemistry classroom where Ned was hovering at the door, waiting for them. "Wow, you saw Spider-Man. Yeah, um…wow. That's uh…That's crazy…" Peter trailed off as they reached Ned.

Talia didn't miss the weird pointed look the boys were throwing each other but she was too preoccupied by the memory of Spider-Man, not bothering to question them. Instead she followed them inside, letting her mind wander off as class began.

* * *

The rest of the school day seemed to drag on slightly as Talia wandered from class to class, still distracted by her thoughts, but even more distracted by the way Peter and Ned were behaving. They kept having hushed arguments but they immediately switched topics or shut up entirely every time Talia was nearby. She was almost paranoid that they were talking about her, but surely if they knew anything that would have just talked to her. This was something else. Peter was a bad liar, and Ned was worse, so they wouldn't last for much longer, but the more they kept to themselves the more Talia felt her last few nerves being pulled taut.

By the time they reached their Physical Education session, Talia had given up, hurrying on ahead as the boys trailed on behind her, heads together as they talked. Talia gave a small huff as she sat down alone, her arms folding across her chest as she watched everyone else sit down around her until Coach Wilson clapped his hands together to begin. As the dull chatter of students faded out, the coach fiddled with the television on the small trolley in front of everyone until the screen flickered on.

"Hi I'm Captain America. Whether you're in the classroom or the battlefield, fitness can be the difference between success or failure…" The perky sound of Captain America was slightly muffled as it came through the old dated television speakers as he spoke, the cheesy positivity still managing to radiate through.

"Are we seriously taking advice from a superhero? He doesn't even have to try," Isabel grumbled from one side of Talia where she had placed herself without invitation, clearly unimpressed by the entire PE session before it had even begun.

Talia stifled back a snort as she watched Coach Wilson fumbling with the television beside him. The Captain America Fitness Challenge was apparently mandatory and Talia had assumed that if it involved an Avenger is must be somewhat interesting but it seemed like they'd probably just replaced the last relevant athlete with Captain America to seem relevant. It wasn't working.

As Talia slowly tuned out the superhero's televised lecture on fitness, she noted the way most of the students were already distracted. Michelle was sitting a few seats across from Talia and she was already engrossed in a book, having sat down and opened it as soon as the class started. Liz and her little group of friends, Betty, Seymour and Jason, were sitting near the front whispering without even bothering to hide it from the coach who was still struggling to turn the volume up on the television.

And then there were her boys. Ned and Peter had been talking in hushed tones ever since they sat down a few rows in front of Talia. They were whispering so low Talia couldn't even catch a word, but whatever it was, they looked slightly suspicious. Then again that seemed to be a regular occurrence for the boys lately.

"Today my good friend, your gym teacher-" Talia held back a cringe as she watched Captain America point beside him, while Coach Wilson stood obliviously on the wrong side of the television, offering up a forced wave. "-will be conducting the Captain America Fitness Challenge," Captain America finished.

"Thank you Captain. I'm pretty sure this guy's a war criminal now, but whatever. I have to show these videos. It's required by the state," Coach Wilson shrugged as he glanced back at the frozen image of Captain America slowly fading off the screen. After a moment of slight glitching, the screen switched to 'Station 1: Sit Ups'. Coach Wilson nodded as he read it, clapping his hands together with a sigh. "Alright. Let's do it. Everyone into pairs. Find a station and let's get this over with."

After a moment, the rest of the students began to move, all slowly untangling their limbs and wandering around the gym as they began to pair up.

"Wow that enthusiasm is contagious," Isabel said dryly as she stood up, glancing back at Talia. "Pair up?" she asked, nodding her head towards the gym floor as she watched Talia pull herself up to stretch.

Talia glanced over at where Ned and Peter were now sitting near the bleachers, both half attempting to follow instructions while simultaneously engaging in yet another hushed discussion. Not that she'd expected to pair up with them because she knew Ned and Peter were always paired together, but something about their secrecy today was bugging her more than usual. Still, she couldn't really complain. Not when she was probably hiding secrets bigger than both of them. But that wasn't something she needed to worry about right now. Shaking off those thoughts, she nodded back at Isabel and followed her down to an empty space on the gym floor.

"I still don't get how Captain America is a fitness role model for students. He basically took steroids to get fit," Isabel remarked as she shifted on the ground in front of Talia, readying herself for the sit-ups. Her disdain for superheroes wasn't exactly a secret by any means, but it was definitely amusing to hear her carrying on, especially when most other girls were busy fawning over how attractive Captain America was. "At least use someone who is genuinely athletic," Isabel added.

"Like you?" Talia asked, raising an eyebrow as she held Isabel's knees to steady her as the other girl began the sit-ups, lifting herself up with practiced ease. "Are you literally challenging Captain America?"

Isabel lowered herself back down, rolling her eyes. "I'm just saying it's the same as idolising Thor for being strong. He's literally an alien from another planet. They're not exactly a role model for normal people."

Talia frowned slightly. "They must still have to stay in shape though. I'm sure Thor has to work out to keep fit too," she offered with a small shrug, watching as Isabel huffed out a breath before pulling herself up into another sit-up.

"I seriously doubt it. They're just built like that," Isabel said, her voice struggling slightly as she slowly lowered her body to the ground. "I just don't get the hype. It's not anything to aspire to. I'd rather admire someone who actually puts in effort to succeed."

As someone who was actively trying to contact the Avengers, Talia couldn't help disagree but she really didn't feel like having an argument in the middle of gym, especially with someone like Isabel who was relentless in her debating skills. She really should have been on the debate team if she wasn't so determined to fill her extracurriculars with sports.

Rather than continuing the little debate, Talia nodded along until they decided to switch places so Talia could do a few sit-ups of her own. It was always frustrating doing these exercises in class settings, as she attempted to get a good balance of showing her skills without showing off. Across the room Talia could see Peter moving with surprising ease as Coach Wilson walked past, while Ned was only half helping, his eyes busy wandering over towards the bleachers.

Across on the bleachers, Talia realised why Ned was staring. Liz and a few of her friends were chatting as they half attempted to stretch. Somehow they hadn't been told off by Coach Wilson and as they sat there, their voices gradually getting a little louder, it was hard not to eavesdrop as Talia moved through her own sit ups easily, trying her best not to look too competent in case Coach Wilson got suspicious.

"Oh my God, she's crushing on Spider-Man," Betty, one of Liz's friends and a regular news host of the school morning updates, remarked. She tightened her blonde ponytail as she spoke and as Talia glanced across, she caught Betty rolling her eyes.

"No way." Sitting in front of the little group on the bleachers Seymour, one of the other sophomores, was wide-eyed as he let out a short laugh of disbelief. Talia frowned as she glanced across at Liz, taking in her expression.

"Kind of…" Liz offered up, looking slightly embarrassed as she covered her eyes with one hand, shrugging helplessly.

Betty was thoroughly unimpressed, judging by the way she sighed, shaking her head in disapproval. "Gross."

"I've seen the YouTube videos. Spider-Man is definitely on steroids. No normal person moves that quick or fights that well," Isabel remarked, since she'd apparently been eavesdropping too as she pushed down on Talia's legs in an attempt to hold her down.

"Yeah and plus he's probably like thirty," Betty added, disdain in her tone.

"I don't know, he looks younger than the other Avengers. He could be like eighteen," Talia spoke up as she hoisted herself up to a sitting position as she recalled the night before. "I mean look at him compared to Captain America. They can't be the same age."

"Captain America is literally in his seventies so he's not the best example," Betty corrected. "But point taken. He could still be ugly though," she added with a shrug.

Across from her mat, Talia could see Ned and Peter no longer participating in the exercises, both focused to the conversation happening. Ned looked excited while Peter looked slightly horrified, a regular expression on his face today apparently.

"Yeah, he's always wearing that mask so who knows what he really looks like," Isabel said, raising one eyebrow.

"See? At least I know what Thor really looks like. And he looks hot," Betty piped up, pretending to fan herself as she leaned back slightly, giggling at her own comment.

Seymour seemed to agree. "Yeah you don't even know if Spider-Man is hot. What if he's like seriously burned?"

"I wouldn't care because I would love him for the person he is on the inside," Liz shot back because of course she was a perfect and kind human being who never judged people. Talia bit back a spark of jealousy at Liz's sweet nature, even though she didn't quite know why she was jealous.

"Peter knows Spider-Man!" Ned suddenly called out from across the room, sitting up slightly.

Talia narrowed her eyes over at them. "What?" she asked, staring at Peter in disbelief and mild annoyance. That definitely had not come up lately. How had that not come up lately? She had mentioned Spider-Man several times and Peter had never spoken up. Was this was he had been so cagey lately? Did he know Spider-Man? Talia's mind was running a million miles a minute as the implications ran through her brain.

"No I don't. No…I…I mean-" Peter hurried over towards the bleachers, apparently intent on disputing Ned's claim, as Ned got up to follow him.

"They're friends." Ned added, his head bobbing up and down as he hurried past Talia, barely glancing back at her.

"Yeah like Coach Wilson and Captain America are friends," Flash sneered, sliding down a nearby rope, slipping his way into the conversation as he had a habit of doing. He stuck his tongue out at Talia as he glanced down at her, seemingly getting a kick out of the way she glared back at him.

"I've met him. Yeah. A couple of times. But it's um…it's through the Stark Internship. I'm…um…I'm not supposed to talk about it." Peter added, throwing a pointed glare at Ned.

"You never told me that," Talia said as she sat up on her knees, frowning across at Peter. "Why didn't you mention it before?"

Peter glanced over at her, a mild look of panic in his eyes as he shrugged helplessly, his mouth slightly open but no words coming out.

"Well that's awesome. Hey, you know what? Maybe you should invite him to Liz's party. Right?" Flash suggested, smugness written all over him. He clearly didn't believe Peter at all. Talia partly wished she didn't either. Not believing him meant that Peter wasn't lying to her.

"Yeah I'm having people over tonight. You're more than welcome to come." Liz said to Peter, offering up a kind smile. "All of you are!" she added, glancing around at Talia and Isabel who was only half listening now that people had stopped mocking superheroes. She'd probably already been invited, but she nodded all the same, as Talia attempted a grateful smile, swallowing down the mild jealousy she could still taste in her mouth.

Peter seemed to perk up slightly at Liz's words. "Having a party?" His entire body straightened up as his focus was pulled from Talia's irritated face and over to Liz. Talia hated the way his eyes seemed to literally light up, all guilt about his lies vanishing as he looked at the older girl.

"Yeah it's going to be dope. You should totally invite your personal friend Spider-Man." Flash interrupted, nodding with false eagerness.

"Um…" Peter was apparently speechless, glancing back to Talia apparently for help, but she just glared sullenly back, raising one eyebrow as if to say 'you're on your own'. He let out a small huff, his hands swinging to and fro as he looked away, getting the hint.

"It's okay. I know Peter is way too busy for parties anyway, so…" Liz trailed off with a shrug. She'd clearly noticed he was looking for an out and chimed in, making Talia feel even worse for not being the one to help out.

"Alright guys, move to your next station. Let's keep moving!" Coach Wilson interrupted the discussion as he called out to the rest of the students, still somehow oblivious to the group of students at the bleachers.

"Come on, he'll be there. Right, Parker?" Flash continued on, clearly mocking Peter as he slapped him on the back with a wide grin. He didn't wait for an answer as he sauntered away to the other side of the gym with a smug expression on his face.

"I can't believe you kept that from me," Talia said bitterly as she brushed past Peter to follow Flash, not bothering to wait as he called out after her. She knew it was stupid and selfish to be annoyed right now. She knew it was hypocritical of her to be mad about secrets, but she couldn't help it. She'd been practically bragging about her new Avenger connection, and the whole time Peter and Ned had probably been laughing about her behind her back.

As she moved into her push ups, Talia couldn't help glancing up to where Peter and Ned were still standing. She'd half hoped that Peter would be looking at her, maybe feeling a little guilty. But instead his gaze was back on Liz, wistful as his eyes followed her around the room. As always.

Suddenly Talia had the urge to abandon the push up station and find a punching bag to destroy instead.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry it's been a while between updates but we are coming up to some big juicy plot stuff so thanks for sticking with me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave a little review and let me know your thoughts/feelings/theories! Reviews really help me stay motivated to keep updating for you all. Special shout out to corahaale, katie owl, notcarlsjr and Anotherunreadffaccount for your reviews on the last chapter xo**


	5. four: you saw me

Talia somehow managed to avoid Peter for the rest of the school day, which wasn't hard because it seemed like he was avoiding her too, along with Ned. Ever since the Fitness Challenge, Peter and Ned had been no where to be scene, even after school when Talia walked past their locker areas on her way out. Not that it mattered since she was avoiding them too, but it hurt all the same.

She knew it was stupid to be mad at Peter for hiding the fact that he knew Spider-Man. It was dumb to be mad at someone for hiding secrets when she was hiding the biggest secret of all. And especially dumb when being mad at him meant she wasn't currently talking to him about organising a meet up with the webbed hero. If she met Spider-Man, whoever he was, she could tell him everything, and maybe he could help her. But that would all require her to a) forgive Peter for lying and b) actually find Peter in the first place.

"Hey, you going tonight?" Talia's grouchy thoughts were interrupted by Michelle suddenly appearing beside her as Talia slowly walked down the school hallway. Michelle had one eyebrow raised, making the real intentions behind her question impossible to figure out.

Talia pursed her lips as Michelle fell into step with her. "Maybe," she offered with a shrug. "I mean it might be fun."

"Or it could be super lame," Michelle said back as they exited the building, the blinding bright sun forcing the two girls to squint as they kept walking.

"So…you're not going then?" Talia asked, cocking her head to the side as she glanced over at Michelle. She could never tell what Michelle was thinking which was definitely interesting but it was also confusing and slightly unnerving.

Michelle shrugged. "Maybe. Depends if I feel like it," she said casually as she hugged her books to her chest.

Talia narrowed her eyes slightly at Michelle, taking in the barrier Michelle had created with her books, a protective layer between herself and Talia. She had a habit of doing that, creating walls around herself, but Talia saw through it occasionally. Like right now, she could tell Michelle was being intentionally vague and mysterious, but she probably just wanted confirmation that she wouldn't be alone at the party.

"Well, I'll probably rock up around eight-ish," Talia said after a moment, offering up a smile. "So if you decide you feel like being there, we can stand in the corner and make fun of Flash being a moron in front of everyone." If the two girls had nothing else in common, at least they both knew they could be counted on to shoot sass at Flash when he was being a douche to everyone else in the room.

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Well we can do that any day of the week."

"True…but tonight we can do it after school hours," Talia offered with a wink. She watched as Michelle studied the ground for a moment as they walked, clearly processing and thinking it all through.

Finally Michelle pulled her gaze back up to Talia. "Well if I decide to come, I'll probably be there around eight too." She smiled, rare but genuine. Talia had to admit, as confusing as Michelle could be, she liked the girl and she always appreciated knowing that they were able to get along. She enjoyed hanging out with Ned and Peter, but her growing friendship with Michelle reminded her of her friends back home sometimes, the sarcastic banter and the knowledge that they would be there when it counted.

* * *

Talia didn't take too long to get ready for the party that night, just switching her denim shorts for a nice pair of jeans and shaking her blonde hair loose around her face. She didn't have many clothing options anyway, but the small change made her feel like she'd at least put in a bit of effort. Plus, Liz hadn't mentioned anything about fancy dress.

"Friend's party. I'll be home late," Talia called out from the front door as she left the foster home, waiting for a response that never came, her foster mother Brenda probably too busy in the lounge watching Breaking Bad again.

Talia had left a small note on the kitchen bench in case anyone was worried about her, but that seemed unlikely. She was never sure whether she should be relieved at the lack of overbearing foster parents, or concerned. It was nice knowing she could do what she wanted and come and go as she pleased, but she had a feeling it wasn't ideal. Luckily she wasn't a real genuine foster child that needed care and support from them. Still, it was a little disappointing. If anything, it was a cold reminder of the home she had left behind.

Talia managed to catch a taxi to the party which was slightly out of the New York City streets, down in a nice suburb a few minute drive away. Liz's house was gorgeous of course, as was expected of someone like her. The party was in full swing by the time Talia slid out of her cab, slipping the driver some cash before slamming the door shut a little too enthusiastically, letting it close with a bang as the taxi jolted slightly.

"Sorry!" Talia called over her shoulder, glancing back to make sure she hadn't left any damage. The driver just threw back a rude gesture as he revved the cab before speeding off into the distance, leaving Talia alone on the sidewalk. She hovered for a moment, eyeing up the house with a small sigh. It seemed so warm and inviting, matching Liz perfectly. Of course she had a nice big suburban home, with a pretty well-kept garden and small lights paving the way up the front door.

Talia knocked once but after a moment it was clear that no one inside was listening, judging by the loud music seeping through underneath the cracks of the door. The door was unlocked so Talia tugged it open, slinking into the entrance of the house. She was instantly faced with a wave of people near the doorway, all clutching red cups and talking loudly over the music. None of them looked particularly familiar although they all glanced her way, offering up a few nods of greeting at her as she passed them on her way through into the kitchen area.

"Hi, I'm ready to leave." Michelle's voice popped up from behind Talia as she walked up to her, her tone dry and bored as she clung onto her own red cup with one hand, a half empty bowl of potato chips in her other hand.

Talia's face lit up briefly at a familiar face but she quickly tugged her expression into one of wry amusement. "Hi. Bye. Why?" She grinned at her own choice of words, noting the way Michelle bit down a smile back.

"I don't condone the music," Michelle replied, nodding her head towards Flash He was currently set up in the middle of the living room with a bunch of DJ equipment, including some douchey headphones hanging around his neck as he fiddled with the knobs and levels, barely adjusting the actual sound quality.

"Right. Of course." Talia agreed mostly to be pleasant, her ears picking up a weird remix of a singer she didn't recognise. She never really bothered to get invested in popular music since it changed so frequently, but everyone else around seemed to be enjoying it, swaying slightly as they all chatted amongst themselves. A few girls in the middle of the lounge were singing along loudly as Flash grinned back, apparently taking credit for their enjoyment. "Well, does he take requests?" Talia asked Michelle, turning back with a raised eyebrow.

"Not from me." Michelle shook her head. "And my 'alternate' taste. Whatever. It's fine," she said with a shrug. It was clearly stinging her more than she let on, the knowledge that her taste didn't line up with the rest of her classmates as much as she tried to play it off.

Talia knew the feeling of wanting to belong without really wanting to give into everyone else, so she nodded along in support. "Well we can hang around and heckle if you want."

Michelle snorted as she lifted her cup to take a sip of her drink, placing the bowl of chips on the bench beside her. "Just tell me when my ears start to bleed. Then I'm out."

"Do the same for me and it's a deal," Talia replied with a firm nod, holding her hand out for Michelle to shake. They shook hands, both biting back smirks as they did so.

"Can't believe you guys are at this lame party," Michelle remarked loudly as she looked past Talia, catching Peter and Ned's attention as they entered the room together. They were both dressed a little too nice, clearly trying to make a good impression. Although Ned's fedora hat was almost ruining the look, somehow he made it look like part of the outfit and it almost suited him. The two boys turned towards Talia and Michelle, eyes both widening in sync.

"But you're here too…" Ned trailed off, frowning in confusion as he raised one hand to point at Michelle, as if he was suddenly doubting her presence in front of him.

Michelle stared at him for a moment, one eyebrow raised. "Am I?"

Talia rolled her eyes as Michelle picked up the bowl of chips again and disappeared around the corner. "Ignore her. She's grumpy because Flash wouldn't play her song requests. He called her selections too 'alternate'." Talia wrinkled her nose as she nodded towards Flash and his lame DJ set up.

"Right…" Peter trailed off, his eyes narrowing slightly as he followed her gaze, leaning slightly out of Flash's eyeline before Flash could spot him and make some snide remark.

"Hey guys! You made it. Cool hat, Ned!" Liz said, interrupting the three of them as she rounded the corner, tall, willowy and beautiful as always.

"Hi Liz," Ned and Peter spoke simultaneously as Talia threw Liz a quick polite smile before rolling her eyes at the boys. They really were hopeless when it came to Liz and she hated the way it stung each time she noticed it. That wasn't what she was here for, that wasn't the focus of her time here, but every time she saw the way Peter stared at Liz, she felt a little piece of her heart ache and she forgot all about her goals. She forgot all about her brother. She forgot all about home. She just saw him.

"Ugh, who let Flash in charge of music?" Isabel sidled up to Talia, breaking her out of her Peter-focused thoughts. Isabel was wearing a dress which seemed jarring when Talia was so used to seeing her in athletic gear. Her hair was still tied into a tight ponytail but she had thrown on a bit of makeup, the highlighter on her cheeks catching the light and making her face glow, pretty even as she rolled her eyes.

"I think it was that or let him mingle with actual people. At least this way we can see him at all times," Talia joked, glancing away from Peter to smirk at Isabel.

"Ah. Smart," Isabel replied, laughing. "So, you ready for the game next week? I'm ready to crush the competition this semester. Every other school in this district won't know what's hit them." Her eyes lit up as she rattled on, her excitement almost contagious.

"Yeah, so ready!" Talia agreed, mostly because it was hard not to agree with Isabel when she was talking about soccer. She was so passionate and enthusiastic and it made Talia almost feel a little bad, knowing she probably won't be around by the end of the semester.

Isabel seemed spurred on by Talia's half arsed attempt at enthusiasm, immediately launching into a full spiel about her plans for the plays for the next soccer match, incredibly detailed and precise. It was slightly alarming given that there were at least a dozen variables that could interfere with any of her plans, such as the opposing team doing anything that didn't match her expectations for them. But Isabel seemed determined and Talia didn't have the heart to cut her off, so she nodded along, adding a few pieces of input in whenever Isabel took a breath.

* * *

After managing to escape Isabel to get a drink, Talia found herself looking around for Peter and Ned to no avail, desperate for interaction with people she actually cared about. As much as Isabel was fun to chat to, there was only so much sports talk Talia could handle. It was odd, being surrounded by so many faces, and being known by so many students, but feeling so isolated suddenly. So many of these students knew Talia as the star of the track team and the soccer team, the girl who was exceptionally fast and agile, set to win a string of competitions for the school. But no one really knew Talia.

Of course that was intentional. No one could really know her, not unless she let them. Letting people all the way in wasn't really an option, not when she was ready to leave at any moment.

Ned and Peter were different though, somehow. Even though they didn't know all the secrets she hid, and they were clueless about her true intentions for being in New York, she still felt like they knew her. They understood her. They let her into their little group. Most of the time that is, unlike tonight when they seemed to have both conveniently disappeared.

A brief wander of the party allowed Talia to eventually spot Ned chatting to Betty, the peppy blonde actually seemingly interested in whatever Ned was excitedly rambling about. But Peter was still no where to be found. He was probably off trying to woo Liz and the thought made Talia sigh inwardly as she pushed past another group of random junior students all singing loudly along to some pop song she didn't entirely recognise.

Spotting the door to the backyard, Talia let out a breath of relief, making a beeline for it. She hadn't realised how claustrophobic she was feeling surrounded by all these people until she finally got outside and inhaled the fresh cool air. Closing the door gently, Talia felt her mind slowly calming down, grateful for the small moment of peace.

The sound of a branch cracking above caught her attention though, and Talia whipped her head up to investigate, unsure whether it was an intruder or just an animal making its way through the neighbourhood.

But it was neither.

Talia stared, eyes wide in disbelief as she took in the full reality of what was happening in a nearby tree several feet above her. Peter. Peter Parker. In a Spider-Man suit that was a little too realistic to be any kind of dress up. Because he wasn't in costume.

He was Spider-Man.

Spider-Man was Peter Parker.

 _Her_ Peter. _Her_ Spider-Man.

Suddenly a lot of things made sense, all the odd behaviour, the way his eyes lit up in mild panic whenever she mentioned the superhero. The remnants of ash in his hair from the sandwich shop's fire. The smoke-induced cough he'd been disgusting as allergies. He'd been there the night it burned. She'd seen him.

"God, this is stupid. What am I doing?" Peter said aloud, tossing his shirt away and letting it catch on one of the branches beside him as he let out a huff of frustration. His suit was half exposed now, but he was oblivious to any watching eyes. It was a miracle he hadn't revealed his identity to the whole world already.

"That is exactly what I was about to ask." Talia remarked dryly as she watched Peter's eyes widen in panic, his eyes dropping down to where she was leaning against the tree. He scrambled for a moment, reaching to grab his shirt again before realising it was clearly too late for that.

"Talia! Uh…Uh, haha oh man, you ruined my prank! I was just going to prank you all and act like Spider-Man- yeah… 'Cause you know, Liz is a big fan of Spider-Man so it would be so funny!" Peter was rambling as Talia watched him silently. She pursed her lips as he continued to spill out some very impressive but very false excuses. "Yeah…like a Punk'd thing, you know? Do you know that show Punk'd? I just saw some old episodes the other day and I thought it would be so hilarious-"

"Peter!" Talia swiftly cut him off as she leaned down quickly to place her half empty cup of soda on the ground. "I keep telling you. You're literally the worst liar," she said as she rolled her eyes. Without waiting for permission, she deftly swung her body up onto the branch beside Peter, testing it's weight lightly before easing herself to sit across from him. "So…" she trailed off, eyeing the Spider-suit again. "You're Spider-boy."

"Spider-Man," Peter correctly under his breath, sulking slightly as he fiddled with the mask in his hands. "But Talia, you can't tell anyone! You weren't even meant to find out!" he pleaded, turning to stare at her intensely.

Talia studied him for a moment, before nodding. "Of course," she said quickly. She hadn't fully processed the information yet, still didn't have her head around it, but she was trying to catch up as quickly as possible. There were a hundred questions running through her mind as she tried to figure out what to say now. "Well I'm assuming Ned knows already," she said, half asking but already sure she knew the answer to that.

"Yeah…He came over the other night when I was climbing back into my bedroom and he caught me…" Peter trailed off, sighing as he caught Talia's arched brow. "On the ceiling," he added.

Of course. No wonder Ned and Peter had been whispering together at school. It made sense. Talia just supposed she was thankful that Peter hadn't confided in Ned months ago, leaving her in the dark all this time. Still, the fact that he hadn't reached out to her still stung.

"I just can't believe you didn't tell me. I've been bragging about spotting Spider-Man, like an idiot," she said with a bitter laugh, her gaze dropping down to stare at her hands. "While you just laughed with Ned behind my back."

"What? No!" Peter rushed to speak, shifting half an inch closer to her as he spoke. "No, not at all. I wanted to tell you it was me. I did. When you told me you saw me swinging by your apartment, I almost told you everything. And the other night after the explosion at the bank…I saw you too."

"I knew you were looking at me," Talia said quietly, her mind racing as she thought back to the previous night, remembering how close they'd been. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me?"

Peter sighed again, his eyes dropping down to gaze down at the party still happening inside. "I don't know," he said after a moment, frowning as he collected his thoughts. "I've been keeping it secret for so long, I didn't know what would happen if I told you. And once you started talking about Spider-Man, I didn't know how you'd react if you knew it was just me. Not some big fancy hero like Iron-Man or Captain America or Thor."

"Just you? Peter, you're doing amazing things. You save lives. You help people. Mask or not, it's still you," Talia said, her eyes widening as she spoke, her voice soft but earnest as she stared at Peter.

"I guess," he replied softly, pulling his gaze back up to Talia.

She didn't realise how close they'd gotten as they'd been speaking, their voices still hushed as they attempted to stay hidden from the rest of the party, but suddenly Talia realised she could practically count the faint freckles on Peter's nose now. She hadn't been able to do that a moment ago. Which meant she was very close to him now. Peter seemed to notice too, his eyes glancing down to Talia's chin, or maybe her lips, as he took in a small breath.

Their faces were inches apart now as they both stared at each other. Talia's mind suddenly felt quiet, all the noise of the last few days and the shock of seeing Peter's mask, the frustration of being out of the loop, it all faded away as she stared back at Peter. He had a habit of doing that. His mere presence wiped all worries from her mind.

Her heart was thumping in her chest now for reasons she couldn't quite point, but she wasn't focusing on any of that. Her mind was too busy focusing in on the way Peter's lips had parted slightly as he gazed back at Talia. Taking in the way they seemed to be moving closer to each other incredibly, agonisingly slowly.

"What the hell?" Peter was frowning as he pulled back sharply, the small moment broken as he looked past Talia, distracted by something as he began to reach for his Spider-mask again.

Talia blinked, startled by his sudden shift in tone. Whatever they'd been moving towards, whatever moment they'd been leaning into, it was gone now and she fought back frustration as she turned to follow Peter's gaze.

"Shi…." Talia trailed off as she spotted a bright blue light in the distance, past the trees. It looked like the aftermath of some kind of lightening bolt, or some strange explosion.

Peter tugged his mask back on, fumbling slightly as he hurried, hands shaking slightly. "Talia, I'm sorry. I've gotta go help…whoever needs my help."

"Well I'm going with you, obviously." Talia's mind was made up before she even spoke, glancing back at the bright blue light, her thoughts racing.

"Wha? No, it could be dangerous!" Peter's eyes widened as he shook his head rapidly, his mask only half covering his forehead as he stopped to stare at Talia. "This is my thing okay? I'm Spider-Man. Trust me," he said, pleading slightly.

"You're also Peter Parker and you regularly misplace your backpack," Talia shot back with a snort. "I'm coming with you," she continued, folding her arms stubbornly, eyes narrowed as she dared him to challenge her.

"Talia, look it's better if you don't come. I've got my web so I'll be moving too fast for you anyway," Peter said in a last ditch effort to change her mind. "You can stay and cover for me here," he said, glancing down to where the party was still raging on inside.

"I'm a fast runner. Just ask Isabel," Talia hissed back, already halfway down the tree trunk.

Peter let out a huff of frustration as Talia stood at the base of the tree, hands on her hips as she waited for him to move. He glared back at her for a moment before tugging his mask over his face and tugging the rest of his party clothes off to reveal the full Spider-suit. In just a few brief seconds it was like he completely transformed, from the Peter she knew into something…more.

"Alright Tee, do your best to catch up," Peter called out in a half whisper-half shout as he shot a web from his wrists towards through the trees. Within a second he was swinging into the dark, leaving Talia to roll her eyes.

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes glancing up at the sky in the distance, taking in the residue blue light still reflecting in the clouds above. Whatever had caused the explosion, whoever had caused it…Talia had a feeling it wasn't entirely human.

Then again, neither was she.

Squaring her shoulders, Talia launched forward, scaling the fence easily as she took off after Peter, hoping she was ready for whatever they were heading towards. She just hoped her gut instinct was right and maybe this was what she'd been waiting for.

"I'm coming," Talia whispered, doing her best to ignore the lump growing in her chest. It tasted like hope but she didn't have time to focus on that now. Instead, she swallowed it down and ran.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading another lil chapter of Talia's journey! Secrets are slowly starting to reveal themselves and Talia is getting closer to some answers herself so keep reading to see what happens when she and Peter reach the blue explosion! Feel free to leave a review and let me know any theories/thoughts/feelings you have! Reviews always help motivate me to write faster so they're much appreciated. Special shoutout to corahaale, lizlil and Ohmicrofilm for leaving your reviews on the last chapter! xo**


	6. five: headfirst into danger

As Talia ran, she felt her heart pounding in her chest, her eyes flickering towards the sky as she moved, searching for any glimpse of Peter. He had moved faster than she had expected, swinging away into the night and barely leaving a trace of himself to follow.

Luckily Peter was also clearly new at this, and it wasn't long until Talia heard a string of dogs barking down a nearby street, giving away Peter's trail. Rolling her eyes, Talia picked up the pace of her running as she followed the sound. Despite only finding out about Peter's alter ego literally few moments ago, she was surprised at how unsurprised she actually was. It all made sense now and after searching for an Avenger to help her for so long, it was almost a relief knowing there had been one nearby all along. The next step was to ask Peter for help with her search for her brother. Surely as an Avenger he had to have some kind of connection. He had to. He was her best hope.

But that meant opening up to Peter. Finding Spider-Man had been her goal for so long but she hadn't actually considered that it could be someone she already knew, someone she already liked and cared about. Someone that she'd come to trust, and who had trusted her enough to actually be honest. Telling an Avenger her true identity wasn't daunting because she had a feeling they would understand, and they'd be able to help her. But for some reason Peter was different. When he'd lied to her, it had cut her deeper than she expected. She couldn't let him experience that too.

As selfish as it was, Talia couldn't bear to think of how Peter would react if he found out the truth. He might not be as easily accepting as she was, especially if he found out how long she'd been lying and how deep her river of lies ran.

Pushing those fears aside, Talia focused on following Peter's trail, cutting a few corners until she caught sight of the strange blue light again, light exploding into the dark night. It had to be a sign. It was too strange, too inhuman. It had to be him.

Within seconds Talia was up at the bridge, her eyes scanning the area quickly. She could hear men talking quietly, and she glanced around, her heart racing. Before she could get a closer look, there was a quiet rustling beside her in the bushes and she glanced over to find Peter half hidden amongst the leaves as he peeked out at her, his mask still managing to show his expression as he stared at her in surprise.

"Talia? Wow, you really are fast," Peter hissed at her, his mask's eyes widening a little as she moved to hide beside him.

Talia didn't reply, just shrugging her shoulders with a quick wink as she let her gaze slide back to where a group of men were huddled around the strange technology inside a van below the bridge. Definitely shady. Whatever the technology was that had created the blue light, it definitely didn't look man-made. But it didn't look familiar either, which means her hopes of home had been shot down yet again.

"You okay?" Peter asked, his voice suddenly soft and very close to Talia as he did his best to speak under his breath to stay hidden.

She could feel his breath tickling on her ear and held in a shiver as she nodded quickly, eyes narrowed in on the men in front of them. Now was not the time to get distracted. Now was the time of focus on what the hell was going on, whatever shady business was happening.

"I think this is where the ATM robbers got their weapons the other day," Peter whispered, nodding his head towards the men as they spoke in hushed tones,

Before Peter could speak again, a loud yodel suddenly burst into the quiet of the night, the sound blaring so loud it sounded like it was right beside Talia. She jumped, cursing under her breath as she stared around herself, her jaw clenching as she noticed Peter pulling his cellphone out. Ned's face was lighting up the screen as he rang and Talia rolled her eyes as Peter hurriedly canceled the call.

Talia was about to tease Peter, because of course he would forget to put his phone on silent when he was in the middle of staking out potential bad guys, but it seemed that the bad guys had heard the obscenely loud ringtone too.

"What the hell was that?" one of them asked loudly and Talia's eyes widened as she watched him pick up a very dangerous looking gun, pointing it at the man who had been trying to buy the weapons. "Did you set us up?" he pushed, turning the gun sideways as he jabbed it toward the man. He definitely looked prepared to shoot and suddenly Talia wished she'd thought this whole 'follow Peter into danger' plan through a little more.

"Hey! Hey, come on," Peter said suddenly, before Talia could stop him. He had swung down from the top of the bridge and landed easily on his feet as he held his hands up to the bad guy. "You gonna shoot at somebody, shoot at me."

"You idiot," Talia hissed under her breath, cringing slightly as the man with the gun turned to point the weapon straight at Peter. But Peter was prepared, quickly shooting a web at the gun, letting it stick on before he tugged hard, pulling the gun out of the man's hand.

As he lunged forward, Talia noticed one of the other men lifting up one of the high tech weapons, hoisting it up as he charged it up. It looked like some kind of large gauntlet, silver metal wrapping around the man's fist as he slid it on. Small blue dots lit up on the side of the weapon as he pointed it at where Peter and the first man were currently throwing fists. With a bad feeling that these men probably didn't care who they hit, Talia leaped down from the bridge, landing with a small thud, loud enough to catch the attention of both men.

"Hey dudes! Fun toys! Anything in pink for the girls?" Talia quipped, ignoring the exasperated look on Peter's face. As if he hadn't been the one to charge into the dangerous situation, giving her no choice but to follow him. Sure, Peter had no idea of what she was capable of and he didn't know she'd been in far more dangerous situations before. But surely he knew her well enough by now to know that she didn't run from a challenge.

Unfortunately the men didn't seem amused either. The potential buyer was already fleeing the scene, smart, but the two dealers seemed more than happy to fight someone smaller than them.

The man wrestling with Peter hesitated just a moment before throwing his fist back at Peter, even though Peter easily deflected, throwing in a kick to the man's shins as he shot another web out to latch onto his arm, pulling the man down and throwing him off balance.

Talia glanced at them briefly, biting her lip anxiously as she tried to figure out how much help Peter needed here. He seemed to be holding his own though, which meant she was free to turn to the man with the now fully-charged weapon. He seemed to have the same thought, and before Talia could lunge towards him, he was pointing the weapon at her, eyes wide with a mixture of panic and glee as if he'd been waiting all night to use this weapon on someone.

Before Talia could blink, he clenched his fist inside gauntlet tightly, triggering a hot blast of energy directly at her chest. Talia let out a grunt, incredibly unladylike but incredibly valid right now, as she was pushed back by the force of it. It threw her to the ground, temporarily winding her as she felt her head hit the hard mud below her.

"What was that? Tee?" Peter turned to Talia, a curse falling from his lips as he glanced over to where she was now stuck lying on the ground, her eyes only half open as she tried to clear her head. "Did they hurt you? Don't worry, I'm gonna get them," he said firmly, apparently now determined to catch them now. He seemed to be forgetting that these men had dangerous weapons, or maybe he didn't care.

Before Talia could cough up an excuse to keep Peter with her, he shot his web out from his wrist, letting it catch onto the van's door before it disappeared around the corner, dragging him along with it.

"Bye," Talia said sarcastically into the dark, mustering up enough energy to throw out a feeble wave to Peter. She rolled her eyes, letting out a groan as she pulled herself up to sit, dusting off the dirt that had flown up around her as she landed on the ground. Luckily she couldn't see too many cuts or bruises on herself and she was able to get up to stand fairly easily, wincing as she rubbed her collarbone where the blast had made its brutal impact.

Glancing up at the night sky, she let out a sigh. If it had been daylight at least she had a better chance of making a quicker recovery. Everything was always harder at night, especially lately. It didn't help that this technology was more advanced than she'd expected, causing more damage than it should have been able to, to her at least. Whatever technology it was, it definitely wasn't from Earth. Interesting.

Brushing off the dirt and dust from her clothes, and wishing she hadn't worn jeans that were so tight, Talia pushed her shoulders back firmly. She didn't have time to mull things over now. She needed to find Peter and make sure he survived the night. After all, he couldn't help her find her brother if he was dead. And of course more importantly this was Peter, and she couldn't lose him. Not now.

It wasn't hard to track down Peter and the van, mostly because they were far from conspicuous. Talia would have liked to claim she found them with her own skills but really it was because Peter was still being dragged behind the van by several thin strands of his web. Talia felt a groan escape her lips as she watched from a distance, wincing as Peter was tossed around the streets, doing his best to stay with the van. The men were relentless though and within seconds of Talia spotting them, another bright blue blast of light shot out from the back of the van. It hit Peter, causing him to lose his grip of the web and forcing him to tumble away into the side of the street, disappearing from Talia's view momentarily.

Talia paused for a moment, wondering whether to follow the van or find Peter. But she knew what he would want, and sure enough she could see him now amongst a pile of garbage cans, already looking up to the skies for a path to follow from above. Well that worked for Talia. She could cover the ground for now. He glanced over, spotting her as she began to run and they made brief eye contact, a silent agreement as they both launched forward into action.

Barely hesitating, Talia took off after the van, relishing in the way her feet pounded on the hard concrete, one step at a time. She hadn't really pushed herself while running for a while since she was usually running with other students and she didn't want to cause suspicion. But now she had a mission and a target, and that made all the difference. She took a few shortcuts, already anticipating the route of the van and although she lost it once or twice, she could hear Peter in the distance, not too far behind her. He was leaping from tree to tree, rooftop to rooftop, moving almost effortlessly, although she didn't miss the sound of a few crashes as he stumbled once or twice. Well he was only human after all.

She lost sight of the van for a moment, so busy on glancing up to spot Peter, and upon realising, Talia gave a huff of annoyance, slowing down slightly to listen for the sound of the van roaring by. Sure enough, the sound of an engine running faster than necessary didn't sound too far off now, only a street across from where she had ended up. Cutting through someone's backyard, Talia moved quickly and quietly. She was completely unnoticed as she slinked past two young girls sitting in front of a large tent, both crying hysterically to their parents and completely oblivious to Talia slipping past and scaling their fence before they could spot her.

The van was coming up the street now, and Talia took a moment to catch her breath as she watched it round the corner, tilting slightly unsteady with one door completely torn off. She guessed that was Peter's doing. As Talia prepared to leap forward, ready to slide into the van and surprise the men, she heard a cry from up above.

And there he was, in all of his Spider-Man glory. She watched almost as if in slow motion, as Peter leaped down from the roof across the road, heading straight for the roof of the van, ready to attack. But he wasn't the only one who had taken the sky's route tonight.

Talia gasped in horror as she watched the vulture-like creature with two large wings spanned out in flight, obviously a man in some kind of suit, ripping Peter from the roof of the van before he could even fully land. Before Talia could even try and react, to yell or cry out, the man was pulling Peter up into the sky, flying higher and higher.

"Okay, show time," Talia said under her breath, squaring her jaw as she stared up, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them wide, exhaling as she straightened up, tilting her head to crack her neck twice before straightening up. After a beat, she nodded to herself, a quiet affirmation that she could do this, before running straight ahead, heading out of the suburban street and into the open road until she felt ready, whipping her headband off her head and leaping upwards.

And then she landed right back down. Barely a foot away. She'd barely even jumped. Her feet had barely left the ground.

That wasn't right. She tried again, this time slightly more desperate.

But nothing was happening. No movement. No sign of light.

 _Nothing_.

Talia stared up at the sky with her headband clutched tightly in one hand, her eyes staring intently upwards, desperately searching for any sign of the vulture and Peter. And then she spotted them. But it was too late. The vulture was releasing Peter, flying away into the night, alone. As Peter fell.

"Peter!" Talia felt his name ripping from her throat, practically screaming in desperation as she watched his small body fall through the air, headed straight for the centre of a lake away in the distance.

As the sound tore through her body, she caught sight of a nearby street lamp shining brightly, lighting up the way for the few stray cars driving past. The light caught her eye as she reached out with her free hand, arm outstretched before her mind even fully had a plan. Before she could even blink the huge lamp exploded, seemingly of its own accord to anyone else watching, swaying on its tall post as glass shattered everywhere. A passing car swerved at the sudden explosion, riding over the line with a screech as it headed straight for another car.

Talia barely had time to let out a cry of fear as the cars collided.

She stared in horror as the two cars were pushed in together. It was almost like they were moving in slow motion. She could just make out the bodies of the drivers being thrust forwards in their seats as a few other cars approaching all laid on their horns, a symphony of warnings and cries of concern as people began to spill out of their own cars, all rushing forward to help the unexpected victims.

With her heart pounding, Talia felt herself slinking backwards into the shadows, shaking her head involuntarily as her grip on her headband tightened. She hadn't meant to hurt anyone. She hadn't meant to cause such a big scene. She hadn't even really thought about it at all. It had been pure instinct that made her throw her hand out. But she was out of practice and out of her element in this environment.

As soon as it was clear that no one in the cars had died in the collision, Talia ducked away, pulling her focus back to the lake where she'd seen Peter fall. "Damnit," she cursed under her breath, flexing her finger tips lightly as she started making her way down the dirt terrain down beside the road, weaving through bushes and trees as she looked for any sign of Peter in the lake.

"Coming up on your six."

Talia's eyes shot up at the voice, and she panicked for a second as she caught sight of someone in a high tech suit flying above her, swooping low over her head, with none other than her Spider-Man, her Peter, tucked firmly under one arm as the suit flew by. At a first glance Talia assumed it was the vulture man, but as they got closer, she noticed a lack of weird wings and a much more familiar suit. It was Iron Man. Tony Stark. Great.

Before Talia could yell back, Tony swooped a little lower, scooping her up with his free arm, carrying her through the air with ease. As Talia shifted in his grip, she managed to look beside her to Peter. He was seemingly unconscious and looked absolutely drenched. He must have ended up in the lake somehow before Tony saved him. But as Talia craned her neck sideways to get a better look, she took in the way his chest still managed to move. He was breathing. He was okay. He was alive.

Tony carried Talia and Peter to an empty playground not too far from the lake again, apparently having made a detour to collect Talia. She felt a little bit like a child caught in the act of misbehaving, which was ridiculous but Tony's cool silence had the same effect on her as her father. She hadn't felt like this since the day she had left home, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Once they were closer to the ground, Tony released Talia from his grip, keeping Peter close to him as he landed gently on the grass. Talia watched quietly as he eased Peter into a sitting position near the edge of the lake, letting the water trickle off him as he examined Peter, checking his vitals. Peter was slowly starting to come to, and while she waited for him to fully wake, Talia strode over to the jungle gym structure, stubbornly ignoring Tony's gaze as she sat down.

"Talia? You're okay?" Peter asked as he finally awoke, his gaze immediately darting around to find her. His voice was slightly higher than normal, full of concern as he scrambled over to the jungle gym to Talia. She was sitting tightly cross-legged with her headband clutched in her hands as she tucked them in her lap, practically sitting on the headband in an attempt to hide it from view.

"Yes, you're both alive. You're welcome," Tony Stark said from up where he was now hovering in his suit just above the two of them, sarcastic and irritated as he stared down at them both figuratively and literally.

Peter barely took a moment to register Tony's dry remark as he began to wring out his mask and suit, immediately launching into an excited explanation about the night's events. Talia tuned him out, already well aware of what had happened and more focused on her headband and the dull ache in her chest from the blast, the energy still pulsing through her body.

"And then he just, he just, like, swooped down like a monster and he picked me up and, uh, he took me up, like, a thousand feet and just dropped me. How'd you find me? Did you put a tracker in my suit or something?" Peter was rambling up at Tony now, his hands flying around with wild gestures as he talked.

Talia sat silently, staring at her hands with a small frown, hating the vague tingle tickling though her fingertips and the way her pulse was stuck at a higher pace than usual, the excess energy fighting to escape as much as she tried to push it down.

"I put everything in your suit, including this heater." Tony, or rather his suit, indicated towards Peter and as if on cue, the spider-suit began to glow slightly. Even from where Talia was sitting a few feet from Peter, she could feel the warmth suddenly radiating towards her and she bit back a smile as Peter let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't shivering anymore, thankfully.

As Tony and Peter began to bicker, Talia felt herself sinking slightly out of focus of the other two, her eyes wandering back up to the streets in the distance, her eyes narrowing as she spotted a few police cars driving by. They were probably going to the scene of the crash, the crash she'd caused.

Part of Talia was annoyed at herself, guilt and frustration all mixing together. She was so rusty with her own abilities that she'd been absolutely useless tonight. All she'd done is create more damage. Thank goodness Peter too busy focusing on Tony and his own failures to notice Talia's mess, although she didn't miss the way Tony's suit kept turning towards her, as if he was staring right through her.

"Anyway, Mr. Stark, you didn't have to come all the way out here. I had that. I was fine. I had Talia!" Peter said, gesturing to where Talia sat, apparently already forgetting how helpless she'd actually been in the moment of crisis.

"Oh, I'm not here," Tony said bluntly as his helmet opened to reveal an empty space where his face should have been. "Thank God this place has Wi-Fi or you would be toast right now. Thank Ganesh while you're at it," he added casually.

Talia pursed her lips, feeling a scowl slipping onto her face as she glanced up at Peter. He had an odd expression on his face, a mixture of anger and betrayal at the knowledge that his mentor hadn't even bothered to make a real appearance after all. He looked hurt. She could only imagine how hurt he would have been if he'd had to find out about her betrayal too, about how much she was keeping from him. He'd almost found out tonight, and Talia couldn't decide if she would have been relieved or terrified. Probably both. Especially if he'd found out only to see her fail.

Talia fiddled with the headband in her hands, biting down a growl of frustration at herself. She should have known better, should have realised she'd be out of practice after so long. Not to mention everything was always harder at night, especially when she wasn't prepared. All she'd wanted to do was help Peter, and instead she'd caused chaos and injured innocent people.

"But I'm ready for more than that now. I'm ready to be an Avenger."

Talia frowned as she tuned back into the conversation as Peter argued with Tony, climbing off the jungle gym to plead his case.

Tony was adamant though, shaking his head. Or rather, the suit shook its head slightly which looked a little odd without a face to show his actual disapproval. "No, you are not," he said firmly.

Peter was stubborn, standing up to argue back. "That is not what you thought when I took on Captain America."

Tony didn't yield, barely even acknowledging Peter's argument as he held up one hand to stop him from continuing. "Trust me, kid. If Cap wanted to lay you out, he would've. Listen to me. If you come across these weapons again, call Happy. That goes for both of you," he added, pointing a finger at Talia too, as if reminding her that he hadn't forgotten she was there, as quiet as she was right now.

Talia and Peter both frowned, almost in sync, as the distinct sound of a car engine revving came from the suit as Tony turned to nod at whoever he could see right now.

"Are you driving?" Peter asked, his fists starting to clench slightly at his sides. He was getting more aggravated by the minute and Talia just wanted to calm him down but her mind was too overwhelmed and full of guilt to intervene.

Tony ignored the question. The suit's hands were moving now and they seemed to be replicating his own movements in the car, clutching at invisible gears and lifting up to hold onto the steering wheel of his car. "You know, it's never too early to start thinking about college. I got some pull at MIT. Bye kids," Tony said bluntly, the suit lifting an arm to give a small wave of goodbye.

He'd barely even addressed Talia's incident, which was surprising. Maybe that was just because Peter had been so aggravated and ready to argue that it had allowed Tony to forget all about it. Or maybe she was facing a lecture at a later time. Either way, Talia was grateful to be off the hook, even if only temporarily. It would give her time to breathe, to collect her thoughts and process what had happened, or rather what should have happened, and why she had failed.

Peter was still in denial though, still fired up and ready to continue arguing with Tony. He stepped forward again, his hands both raised up in defence, or desperation. "No, I don't need to go to col- Mr. Stark-please-"

"Mr. Stark is no longer connected," the voice from the suit switched to a more robotic tone as Tony's helmet moved to lock back onto the blank face, the lights around the helmet switching off as Tony disconnected the suit from wherever he was right now, leaving Peter and Talia in the darkness, both staring in frustration.

"Perfect," Peter grumbled, not even bothering to wait for the Iron Man suit to fly off as he turned on his heels and stalked away. He didn't bother waiting for Talia, clearly too wrapped up in his own thoughts as he disappeared back into the dark.

Talia watched as Peter disappeared, her heart sinking at the way he didn't even bother to glance back at her, his head heavy with defeat. She had only wanted to help him but somehow she'd made it all worse. Sure, Peter had rushed to help first, but Talia had gotten herself involved too. She'd caused just as much chaos. If not more. Staring after him, Talia let out a long sigh of defeat.

"Talia."

Great. Apparently Tony hadn't completely disappeared then. Talia could hear Tony clicking his tongue behind her and after a reluctant pause she finally twisted on her heels to look up at the suit, frowning as she saw the way it was lit up again, active and ready to talk. She hadn't escaped after all. "Alright, well I'm off too," she said with false cheeriness, clasping her hands together.

"Not so fast," Tony said sternly. "I told you I'd help you but you never said anything about getting involved in this mess too."

"Peter needed my help," Talia shot back, eyes narrowing. "Since you clearly weren't around to be there for him. He's still figuring all of this out."

"And so are you, apparently. Don't think I didn't notice your little stunt back there. With the cars? Does Peter know who you really are? What kind of power you have?" There was a dull sense of taunting in Tony's tone, mixed in with a hint of caution. But she wasn't an idiot. Even though Peter had revealed his secret, admittedly by accident, Talia wasn't about to spill her life story on him just yet, not when it could put him in potential danger. Plus if things worked out and she found her brother, she wouldn't be around for long anyway.

"He'll find out if he has to," Talia said, jaw tightening. "Sure, I'm a little rusty but I was just trying to help. I just wanted to keep Peter was safe while he was running headfirst into danger."

"He shouldn't have been running towards danger in the first place. You should have stopped him or told me so I didn't have to ruin my holiday trying to save him," Tony argued back, one hand pinching his nose in frustration. "I'm sure you could have found a way to do that."

Talia frowned, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she bit back a string of annoyed remarks. "I found out he was Spider-Man literally less than an hour ago," she said, eyes flashing. "Forgive me if I didn't have time to contact you about it sooner. And I didn't know you and I were that close."

"What are you talking about?" Tony asked as Talia started pacing back and forth, fighting the urge to just march off after Peter.

"I mean that _you_ promised you'd help me," she said, emphasising the 'you' as she turned on her heels to look up at Tony, betrayal and bitterness slipping out all at once. "You said you could get in contact with my brother for me but it's been months and I've barely heard from you."

Tony waved his hands up in defence, his suit hovering higher in the air for a moment. "How is that on me? You didn't have a cell phone for the first few months."

"So?" Talia glared at Tony, not caring about his rational line of thinking. "You're Iron Man. Find a way or stop making false promises." She threw him another look of irritation before turning away, her chest heaving with frustration as she went to follow in Peter's path.

"Talia, wait - I did find someone who might be able to help you," Tony said, causing Talia to stop in her tracks, her breath hitching as hope seeped into her lungs for the first time in weeks.

Tony was quiet for a moment but Talia could hear his breath even though the suit, slow and steady as he waited for her to move. When she didn't walk away, he continued, "It took a while to track her down and I can't guarantee that she'll know any more than me," he said as Talia turned around to face him finally, "But she's the closest link I've found. The closest I think you're going to find, anyway."

Talia straightened up, ignoring the way her heart pounded in her chest, "Who is it?" she asked, desperation creeping into her tone as she stared at Tony.

"She's the last person I found known to have contact with your brother." Tony's voice was steady as if he wasn't about to give her information that could change everything, as if this wasn't the moment she'd been waiting for, the moment she'd spent years waiting for.

"Her name is Doctor Jane Foster."

* * *

 **A/N: Wooooo here we are friends! Secrets are being revealed! I know some of you worked out Talia's secret for a while and there is plenty more to be explained don't worry. Please feel free to ramble away and tell me all your feelings/reactions/thoughts to this chapter! No review is too short and I love hearing what you all think about each chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one :)**


End file.
